The present invention relates in general to sensors for trailer towing with road vehicles, and, more specifically, to mounting of sensors for driver assist systems onto a trailer.
Trailers for towing by car and trucks are known having many different structural designs and using many different types of hitch receivers, hitches, and couplers (e.g., ball couplers, frame-mount hitches, fifth wheels, goosenecks, etc.). Electrical connections between the towing vehicle and the trailer are usually required for proper lighting of the trailer and are also commonly employed for other features such as braking. The associated wiring cables are tethered between the vehicle and trailer as known in the art.
To support driver assistance systems such as stability control systems, motion sensors such as a yaw sensor can also be mounted to a trailer. For example, U.S. patent application publication 2017/0028800A1 discloses a trailer with a yaw sensing apparatus including a yaw sensor housing and a docking station. Since driver assistance systems and the particular sensors for which they are designed are typically unique to the vehicle manufacturer, the placement of a yaw sensor on a trailer often an aftermarket effort (i.e., installed by an end user). A yaw sensor, in particular, has a need for mounting in a predetermined orientation to ensure it can detect the intended movements. Other sensors that could be mounted to a trailer, such as angular or linear motion sensors for detecting acceleration along an x, y, or z axis, would also depend on being placed it a particular orientation. Oftentimes, the sensor installation may only be temporary, as in the case of renting or borrowing a trailer.
During use on the trailer, it is desirable to protect the sensor from gravel impingement, mud, ice, and other environmental conditions. Traditional methods of attaching sensors on the trailer such as screws or bolts passing through a portion of the trailer frame may be undesirable from a user standpoint because they require drilling or other modifications of the trailer and may be difficult to successfully achieve a precise sensor alignment that may be required. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a simple and effective manner of installing and removing a sensor on a trailer which achieves proper alignment and environmental protection without depending upon special expertise by the user.